Via Sets Its Sights on 2 GHz

Taiwanese chip vendor Via Technologies plans to speed its line of processors to 2 GHz before the end of the year. The company also expects to see its processor business turn a profit for the first time this year, according to a company executive.

Via plans to introduce 2-GHz versions of its low-power C3, Eden, and Antaur processor lines, with the first 2-GHz chips to enter production during the second half of this year, says Steven Lee, head of Via's Embedded Platform Division.

Currently, the fastest processor available from Via runs at a clock speed of 1.4 GHz and is produced using a 130-nanometer process by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (TSMC). To reach clock speeds of 2 GHz and higher, Via will shift some processor production from TSMC to IBM's Microelectronics division, says Wenchi Chen, president and CEO of Via.

Technical Details

The faster chips will be produced using a 90-nanometer process and SOI (Silicon On Insulator) technology at IBM's 300-millimeter chip fabrication plant in East Fishkill, New York, Chen says.

TSMC will remain Via's most important foundry partner and will continue to produce PC chipsets and Via's existing processors, Chen says. However, the company decided to work with IBM to produce its next generation of processors, codenamed Esther, because of IBM's industry-leading expertise with SOI technology, he says.

"We think SOI will be a big help for producing future low-power processors," Chen says.

IBM's 90-nanometer process technology can boost chip performance by up to 30 percent by facilitating the faster movement of electronic signals through the chip, Via says in a statement. The use of IBM's SOI technology, which uses an insulator such as silicon oxide to a silicon wafer in order to insulate the circuit against power leakage, reduces electronic leakage within the chip, resulting in an additional performance increase of between 25 percent to 30 percent while reducing power consumption, the statement says.

Supply and Demand

Via is seeing strong demand for its processors, which are typically found in low-end computers and embedded applications, such as home media centers, Lee says. Demand for some of the company's processors, such as the 1-GHz chip, are expected to see growth of more than 100 percent this year, he says.

This rapid growth in demand will "absolutely" drive Via's processor business into the black this year for the first time, Lee says.